November 23 The end!

I feel delighted and relieved that I have finished this learning program. Some of my colleagues think it's quite funny that I have been reading others people's blogs and that I must have too much time on my hands! but I have really enjoyed reading them and I've learned a lot. Geeklibraryguy has even made me rethink Image Generators - I'm going back to try that cartoon site of his, and Scootergirl, why aren't you in the blog industry? My mission now is to go back and try and customise my blog to look more like theirs! (and many other amazing ones I've seen) - not because I'm under any delusion that anyone will read it but for my own benefit. I won't be changing the title of my blog just yet, but I know a helluva lot more than I did when I started, as well as being a lot more aware of the internet's potential in libraries. I think many of our customers would also appreciate the opportunity to complete this program. What surprised me was how straightforward each exercise was if you just took the time to read the explanatory material (and followed the links!) My only real stumbling block was publishing to my blog from Zoho - I'm coming back for you, mate. So overall, it has been an enjoyable as well as educational experience and I'll miss it. So good on ya, acl.2 and thanks for the encouraging comments along the way.

Podcasts

I must say podcasts have never appealed to me, they seem like something you would have time for and enjoy if you were retired. However, I did look at the directories and I must say I enjoyed listening to Carl Bernstein discussing his book "A woman in charge" about Hilary Clinton. I've never heard his voice before so that was interesting. That was on http://authorsontourlive.com/ which I have added to my Bloglines. I was hoping to shortcut my search for library or book related sites by perusing the top 50 podcasts on Podcast Alley - surprise, surpise, none were book related! (apart from the Bible which from memory was about no. 15). But a little searching will find lots of book and storytelling sites under the Arts category.

NetLibrary

I had intended to start this post with the words "Has anybody, anywhere, ever read a book online?", only to be told that one of our interviewees yesterday said she only read e-books. Well, knock me down with a feather. Without wanting to sound like a killjoy again, I just cannot imagine ever doing it. Apart from the discomfort and feeling somewhat alienated from the story, I could find hardly any titles I would want to read. Searching for favourite authors brought up nothing so I searched via Newest Books. There was the odd one - I don't know how "Dishwasher : one man's quest to wash dishes in all 50 states" slipped in among all the business and computing books but it looks a goodie - I've ordered the hard copy!

I did like the way you could add favourites and notes to your NetLibrary account but we have discovered a number of other sites where you could do this anyway - sorry, I'll be staying away from this in the future, which isn't to say I wouldn't recommend it to students or others to whom it may be of benefit. (We have always made use of Cliff's Notes but this has alerted me to the larger range of titles available).

Week 9 (November 19) Podcasts, Video and ebooks

YouTube

I feel a little embarrassed about this video. It was not my intention to do any flag waving about the war, I was just searching for a favourite song by Emmylou Harris. I thought it was interesting though because I am someone who would never look at YouTube and here I learnt some recent news I hadn't heard - namely that thousands of anti war protesters had marched on Washington led by Iraq war veterans. The video is very moving and a reminder I think that many Americans oppose the war and that no-one does protest quite like them. As for their use in libraries, I'm not too sure. Obviously they have some educational value, we've used them in this exercise, but as I said, it isn't something I'm familiar with.

Week 8 (November 16) Online Applications and Tools

Zoho Writer

This Zoho Writer is wonderful. Funny (sad) to think I just bought the Word for Mac program. I didn't realise there was so much free software available on the net. Mind you, being a nervous Nelly I still feel a bit queasy thinking of all my info floating around in cyberspace, yet I know it is probably safer (and more accessible) on an internet database than on a lone home computer. Incredible to think you could actually have all the applications of a home computer on a public one for free. The only thing I did find a little frustrating was that it was a bit slow to load and I had a few of the usual hiccups you get with the net but more than compensated for by its many features. I love the quick link to email. I downloaded the template for making speeches which would be a very useful homework aid for the dreaded speech making. The resume template also great. I have always hated all those files and folders so I love the way you can use tags instead and the way your documents are organised at the side of the screen. I wrote a short document which I successfuly sent to my email but I can't publish to my blog. It won't accept my blog's username and/or password. I've tried every permutation I can think of but it keeps saying one or the other is wrong.

Web.2 Awards

Yes, had a look at some of the sites. Some would be useful of course - saw a number we have been exploring here already. I think it is mostly that type that would be useful in a library setting (i.e. those related to books, organisation, office applications etc.) Many of them seemed recreational and just for fun, which of course also has its place but people seem to be pretty good at finding those themselves. I did like the look of the winners in City Guides and Reviews (I love reading about people's favourite cafes, shops, haunts, etc.) but they were all only relevant to the United States. Farecast under the Travel Awards is a very readable travel site, with clear and definitive prices for each day on flights all around the world. We have a very well travelled clientele who I think would enjoy this website and it is fun browsing and virtual travelling even if you can't afford it!I will definitely explore these more fully in the future.

Week 7 (November 14) Wikis

Wikis - Wow, again, so much reading! and what a huge topic. Obviously wikis have become much more prolific in the last couple of years than I realised. I'm trying to imagine their use in our particular library. I can see the promotional material for our bookclub now - "A wiki with your biccie". I think wikis encapsulate the best of the web and the worst of it. The best of it in that they enable freedom of expression and the worst in that they do. Imagine a bookshop containing everything anybody ever thought worth publishing - who would ever visit? (Actually, maybe they would.) Obviously they are very much the way of the future but I do think we need to be be careful that we do not end up using technology such as wikis just because it is there. I wouldn't like to see wikis replacing human interaction and personal communication when it isn't necesary. Clearly wikis are and will continue to be a major tool in enabling libraries and their customers to share ideas and information. I looked at the the steps to setting up a wiki using PBWiki, although I didn't actually do so. Impressed at how simple it is, obviously this has been a major factor in their success.

http://acllearn.pbwiki.com/Favourite+blogs

Week 6 (November 7) Tagging, Folksonomies and Technorati

Technorati

Made myself aTechnorati account, claimed my blog http://www.technorati.com/blogs/wannabtechie.blogspot.com
and added a blog from the tracking record. I can't resist reading any blog I choose from the tracking record - I'm always amazed how knowledgeable some people are and how sophisticated they have made their blogs. Mine is starting to look very side-heavy. I thought I'd try adding some pictures or links to my sidebar but it fell to the bottom and took so long to get it back I'm not going there again! I will definitely attempt customising it once I've finished though. Anyway, I digress. I think if I was going to keep a blogroll I would probably stick to Bloglines, I find it more accessible and straightforward. But interesting to see how many sites there are if you want to cover all bases.

del.icio.us

Set up a del.icio.us account and made a link from my blog. I use the internet for searching quite a lot but do tend to stick to a limited number of websites (I'm working on that), therefore not sure I would need a website such as del.icio.us. I can see huge benefit for school children and students however. My daughter uses our home computer, the uni computers and the public library computers for her study so this would be most advantageous. Will definitely recommend to her and any of our users in similar situation.

Web 2.0, Library 2.0 and the future of libraries

I'm afraid I was rather amazed by the reading on Web 2.0. I thought it was just an exercise in introducing us to some different sites and possibilities on the web - not a controversial worldwide philosophy. I don't really feel I have a grasp on quite what it means actually. I feel a bit overwhelmed by the amount of reading and anxious to carry on and finish! I can see that it has been an exercise in making us aware of the potential for interacitve use of the internet and its potential for library staff, empowering library users and reassessing the role of libraries in the future. I think I need a lot more time to think about all it could mean although of course we are already using a lot of collaborative technology. Here I will just state the obvious - that it is a very good thing that Library 2.0 aims to enable libraries and their users to be more proactive and for libraries to allow themselves to be more inclusive but I suppose the real challenge is in finding viable and practical ways for that to happen. I have no doubt that it will and that libraries will function very differently in the future, how much so will be interesting to see.

Week 4 (October 29) RSS and Newsreaders

I like the idea of Bloglines but I just don't know how often I'd actually go and look at my account. The news feeds such as the New York Times are wonderful but I find it hard enough to get through the morning Herald. Yes, it is good if you have a passion for a topic and can keep up to date. As so often with the net, though, so much dross to sift through. The second website listed on the Bloglines Search Tool under "Home Design" was for an exploding volcano tissue dispenser! Isn't somebody monitoring this stuff?

I will enjoy keeping up to date with a couple of my coworkers' blogs - I can see this could be a great organisational tool if you had a few friends or family with different blogs.

As far as library use goes, I could imagine in addition to the website individual libraries having their own blogs catering to their particular customers. I have heard comments that this site is way too cumbersome but I actually like it. You could have feeds for people interested in news sites; a blog for the library club members where they could access book reviews and add their own comments; a blog aimed at special needs members. Endless really. Yes, I definitely think this has great potential for library users.

(I'm really starting to like that exploding tissue holder.)

Week 5 (October 30) Play Week

Online Image Generators

http://www.myalphapicture.com/



I had a look through a few Image Generators. I can see young people could have a lot of fun with these but I can't really imagine making too much use of them myself although I can see they could be fun as add ons to e-mails, letters etc. Perhaps I just need to explore more of them but the idea of imposing my face on Che Guevara's head or adding a slogan to an iconic album cover seem slightly sacriligious (and just plain silly). As far as editing your own photos go, I wouldn't use any in preference to Photoshop although I can see it would be useful if you didn't have it. (The two art sites I looked at were subscription anyway).

Librarything

Having had a look through Librarything I can see it is more comprehensive than it appears at first. I wouldn't use it as a catalogue of books I've read or own but I would certainly use it as a storage device for titles I'd like to read. I am always browsing bookstores and writing titles on bits of motheaten tissue or envelope which I may or may not find some time. I do like the feature where Librarything sends you a list of books it thinks you may enjoy (and/or ones who would not!) A marvellous tool for bookclubs to archive their reading history, current reading and add reviews. Rather concerning though
to see there is an "upgrade" to a paying account - didn't have time to see where that was properly explained. Presumably at some point a pop up will appear letting you know free time is up. Anyway, definitely one to return to.

http://www.librarything.com/profile/wannabtechie

Week 3 (October 27) Photos and Images

Ok, went back and had a good look around Flicker, yes it looks fun. Our digital camera was stolen recently or I would have tried making a mash up or montage of a family photo but I will definitely give that a try when I can.











Favourite Technology : Well, that would have to be my new Camry which I lurrrve! Technology related because I've never had a car that starts flashing its lights and beeping its horn when you forget to close the door. At least I think that's why it did it. I want to call it Christine but ubby put the kybosh on that. Next favourite our new iMac. I could run my mouse over the tool bar for hours.I especially love the special effects of photo booth because they can make you look better (or worse) than you have in 20 years. Also, SIM Safe which anyone who has ever lost their phone will truly appreciate - a nifty gadget for just $20.00 which stores all the information from your SIM card. My daughter's new ipod touch is pretty fabulous. For someone who grew up buying CDs for one song (oh alright, LPs) listening only to songs you like is a slice of heaven. I know this is far from new technology but I used to get her to make me CDs, however I tied her to the chair and made her show me how to do it myself - easy peezy! (So thank you, ACL.2).

(P.S.I should probably explain why we have all these new toys - ubby got made redundant recently and we had more cash in hand than we've ever had! It's all gone now but you can call me Gadget Girl.)

Week 2 (October 26) Social Networking

Intro to Bebo : Feeling like a Peeping Thomasina

No need to go into a clothing store to feel like a washed up old has-been. Bebo does it in half the time. What the hell are they talking about? No wonder my kids fell about laughing when I told them I had a Bebo page (which I previously thought was Bepo). "Got any friends, mum?" they sniggered. Yes, I said proudly, Auckland City Libraries. More hilarity. I could get revenge by posting some very embarrassing comments but I can't find their bloomin' sites - must be keepin them on the d lo.

Week 1 (October 26th) Better late than never

Here I am, the zillionith millionith blogger to pollute the airways! A late starter for sure, but I'm going right now to register. My blogs will be mercifully brief, unless I become adept in which case I will become obnoxiously prolific. Wait and see!